The Third Gender: Jogta!!

Raju (Jogta).

‘Jogtas’ are the other form of Third Gender. This tradition was started in Karnataka and later on it got vast. These people are devotees of Goddess Yellamma (Renuka). As per their tradition rules these people are slaves of Goddess Yellamma, they have to spend their whole life in worshipping her. The male are known as Jogta & females are known as Jogtins.

The traditional history of this community was revealed by Raju.

Raju, born in Mumbai, Dockyard Road. He follows this Jogta Community. He stays with his family (father, mother, 1 brother, 1 sister.) in Mumbai. Raju says, he was declared as Jogta by his mother when he was 16! She said Raju’s bladder was bleeding and thus he was accepted as Jogta by Godess Yellamma. Even he accepted it as a truth of his life!

The traditional belief of this community is if a female finds a deadlocks in her hair so she is declared as Jogtin, Female slaves of Goddess & if a male’s penis starts bleeding then it is believed as that male is going through menstruation, they are declared as Jogta.

Raju says, he gets possessed by Goddess Yellamma’s soul when devotional 

Raju says, he is happy with his life because this is what he was been taught from the start of his life. He feels proud because according to their belief Goddess Yellamma chose him in this community to serve her.

Even though, Raju believes in this community his thoughts are modernised. He says, if you are declared as a Jogta then too you got a right to oppose them if you are not ready to be so; like how he did. He accepted just because it was right according to him but it’s not necessary to be same for all.

So, this was another sweet & knowledgeable conversation with Raju.